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Research Explores Chiropractic Care in NFL
In a recent issue, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics featured a new survey of head athletic trainers from the National Football League teams on how they utilize chiropractic.
A survey was mailed to each of the 36 trainers, which consisted of 40 questions relating to training experience, frequency and type of care used on injured players. Twenty-two trainers responded, of which, 45 percent have personally been treated by a chiropractor for evaluation or care.
When asked to identify conditions appropriate for referral to a chiropractor, the respondents identified low back pain (61 percent), "stingers" and "burners" usually associated with neck injury (31 percent) and headaches (8 percent). All respondents agree that some players use chiropractic care without referral from team medical staff.
There is significant chiropractic participation in U.S. professional football. Certified athletic trainers see a role for the sport chiropractor in the NFL, primarily as a spinal specialist caring for low back and other musculoskeletal injuries. A majority of NFL trainers have developed cooperative relationships with chiropractors, with 77 percent having referred a player to a chiropractor. Thirty-one percent of NFL teams have a chiropractor on staff, and an additional 12 percent of teams refer players to chiropractors but do not directly retain these chiropractors.
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